


From Russia, With Love

by petersnotkingyet



Series: Love is Blind (and so is Kenny) [9]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Acceptance, Alternate Universe, Bittersweet, Blind Character, Blind!Kent, Christmas, Disabled Character, Domestic, Epilepsy, Family, Holidays, Internalized Homophobia, Kids like Kent, M/M, Mentions of Death, Mentions of Violence, Seizures, toxic masculinity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-15
Updated: 2017-10-15
Packaged: 2019-01-17 15:12:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12368421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/petersnotkingyet/pseuds/petersnotkingyet
Summary: Alexei takes Kent home for Christmas.





	From Russia, With Love

**Author's Note:**

> A lot of names get thrown around, so the breakdown will be in the notes at the end if that gets confusing.  
> Also Christmas is celebrated on January 7 in Russia because the Russian Orthodox church uses the old Julian calendar for religious celebration days.  
> I've also chosen to ignore a realistic work schedule for Kent and Alexei in the name of Christmas.

Daniil Mashkov loved his brother.  He was five when Alexei was born, pink and mostly hairless.  Daniil already had a little sister—Irina—but he’d wanted a brother for years.  Nobody in their house got any sleep until Alexei was three months old, when he traded screaming for smiling.  Once Alexei grew some hair and was actually cute, Daniil tried to convince their mother to let him take the baby to school for show and tell.  Daniil always loved his brother.  When he came home from school, the first thing he did was go find his little brother to tell him about his day.  Alexei usually listened too.  Even though his was five years younger, Alexei aged into a playmate, a confidant, a co-conspirator.

Daniil loved his brother.  He just wished he wasn’t gay.

Daniil was fourteen when he realized it.  As far as he could tell, no one else suspected.  Alexei was a little too affectionate for a boy, but he was tall for his age and much better at hockey than Daniil had been at nine.   Alexei himself didn’t know at that point, but as soon as Daniil pieced it together their relationship changed.  He tried to steer Alexei’s behavior so no one else would figure out.  He told his brother to hug less, practice more, start swearing, speak lower.  When Alexei came home from school with a note from his teacher that he wouldn’t stop playing soccer and come inside when recess ended, Daniil was sure he’d succeeded.

It didn’t last though.  By eleven, Alexei was back to hugging too much and talking too loud.  This time, Daniil didn’t have the heart to try to coax it out of his little brother.  He was still the tall kid who was good at hockey to everyone else, so Daniil just hoped that would be enough to get him through.

He’d moved out by the time Alexei really hit his teenage years.  Alexei’s adolescents passed by in flashes for Daniil.  He’d leave at the end of summer, knowing the next time he was home Alexei would be taller and broader and have even more hours at the rink under his belt.  When Alexei was fifteen, he went to the school dance with a group of friends, all of them male, but still arrived home with flushed cheeks and swollen lips.  Daniil said nothing.

Alexei was drafted in 2009.  He was 19 and taller than Daniil.  The whole family was overwhelmed with pride, but it nearly made Daniil sick sometimes to think of his kid brother being on a separate continent.  He knew he had to go, though.  The NHL would be good for Alexei.  Even to himself, Daniil never voiced his hope that Alexei could be more himself in America.

Two years after he went into the NHL, Alexei came out to their mother.  When she told Daniil, he didn’t tell her he’d known since his brother was small.  Daniil just nodded and listened to her talk.  Even after his family had adjusted, Alexei was quiet about his sexuality.  There were no scandalous articles, and his online presence centered around his team.  When he called home, he would mention dates, but Daniil knew there was always more to it than he told.

A year later, Alexei started talking about Kenny.  Within a couple months’ worth of phone calls, Daniil could tell that Alexei was infatuated.  He breathed a sigh of relief when Alexei first used the word ‘date.’  He’d wanted Alexei to go to America so he could play hockey and be somewhat out.  Then Alexei used the ‘blind’ for the first time, and Daniil remembered that life would never be simple with his brother.

After a year and a half of dating, Alexei brought Kent home for Christmas.

Daniil offered to pick them up from the airport, but the whole family insisted on coming.  He reminded them that Alexei and Kent’s luggage would have to fit in the car too, so in the end it was decided that Daniil and Mama would suffice. 

After an hour long delay, Kent and Alexei appeared from the direction of the baggage claim.  Alexei looked the same as ever—impossibly tall, messy-haired, grinning wildly.  Kent wasn’t much shorter than Daniil himself, but anyone would look miniscule next to Alexei.  He held a white cane in front of him with one hand and pulled a suitcase behind him, tracing quick circles on the handle.  Daniil could recall his brother saying Kent didn’t like to use a cane, but he must have conceded to it to get through the airport.

“здесь,” Daniil called when his brother didn’t appear to see them.  “Over here, Alexei.”

Alexei spotted him and somehow managed to grin wider.  Daniil barely noticed him casually steer Kent towards them by his elbow.  Alexei hugged his brother and leaned over to kiss his mother on the cheek.

“Mama, Daniil, this is Kenny,” Alexei said.

“Kent,” Kent jumped in.  “Kent Parson.”  The purple sunglasses, snapback, and low-slung sweatpants somehow fit how Daniil had imagined him.  He held out a hand for one of them to shake, but Mama pulled him into a hug instead.  Kent turned pink all the way up to his ears.  That wasn’t how Daniil had imagined him.

“Call me Kira,” Mama said.  “Alexei tells me much about you.  I am glad to finally meet.”

“It’s good to meet you too,” Kent said.  Daniil took in the New York accent, the hand fidgeting on his suitcase, and the barely perceptible quiver in Kent Parson’s jaw and tried to work out what to say.

“Let’s go home,” he finally said.  “Must be tired from flight?”

“Time difference is seven hours,” Alexei said, sounding almost proud.  “I’m used to, from roadies.  Kenny is being asleep, though.”

“Because snored the whole way here and kept me awake,” Kent retorted.

“Does not bother you at home,” Alexei shrugged.  Daniil tensed, waiting for some eavesdropper to say something, but the airport rushed on around them.

Kent and Alexei went to bed as soon as they made it through the first round of introductions to the immediate family.  They slept in the next morning, and when they got up, Alexei started showing Kent around the house.  When they made it to the kitchen, Daniil watched quietly as his younger brother guided Kent’s hands onto the handle of the coffee pot, the sink, the dishwasher, the stove.  They made three passes through the house like that before joining Daniil at the table.

“Who is watching kitten while you are here?” Daniil asked.  He could see Kent relax at the easy topic.  That was why he’d asked.  When Alexei first suggested bringing Kent home, Daniil started listening closer to the numerous stories about Kent.

“She has an automatic feeder, and my buddy Jeff is checking in on her,” Kent said.  “His family is in Providence, so he doesn’t have to travel for the holidays.”

“And your family is in New York?”

“Yeah,” Kent said.  “We do Christmas the twenty-fifth, so it worked out well for me to be able to see them and come here.”

“That is good,” Daniil said.

Irina and her family arrived a few hours later.  Normally, the kids were enraptured with their Uncle Alexei, the NHL star home from America, but today Kent was the object of interest.  Kent knew very little Russian and the kids only how to say hello in English, so there was very little conversation involved in their interactions.  They played checkers in teams of two since there were four of them, and the older two fought over who got to play with Kent.  Alexander was too small to really understand that Kent was blind, but Sofya and Maxim would guide Kent’s hands to move their pieces.  Alexei sat on the couch and watched them play, translating occasionally.

They all went skating that afternoon under the guise of entertaining the kids.  Kent and Alexei had to rent skates, but everyone else had brought theirs.  While Irina and her husband tried to corral their kids, Alexei’s parents skated slow laps together, hand in hand.  Daniil was left to fall in with Kent and Alexei.

“You skate?” Daniil asked Kent even though he already knew the answer.

“Yeah, I played hockey on a blind team growing up,” Kent said.  “I had to quit when I went to college.  There aren’t a lot of teams.  I still go to the rink pretty often though.”

“And Paralympics is only having sled hockey,” Alexei said.  He sounded bitter.  Kent patted his arm.

“Maybe they’ll catch on someday, yeah?” Kent said.  Alexei made a low affirmative noise and nodded.

Ahead of them, Maxim broke away from his parents and skated back to the three men.  Alexei slowed carefully, and Kent picked up on the movement and did the same. 

“I play hockey, y’know,” Maxim said, looking at Alexei expectantly.  Alexei repeated the boy’s statement to Kent in English.

“What’s your team called?” Kent asked.  Alexei translated that and Maxim’s answer.

Maxim conversed with Kent through Alexei for a few more minutes before taking off across the rink.  Irinia called after him as the six year old narrowly avoided running into his grandparents, and Alexander took the opportunity to attempt a similar escape.  Laughing, Alexei relayed the situation to Kent.

“I’ll get him,” Daniil volunteered, skating after his nephew.  Maxim quietly tolerated his company, and Daniil found himself watching Alexei and Kent while they skated.  Their arms were linked, and their heads were bent as close together as the height difference would allow.  Once again, Daniil found himself waiting for someone to say something to them, but no one did.  Maybe it was because Kent was blind or because Alexei was huge or because there were kids around.  Maybe it was because it was nearly Christmas and people were feeling kind.  Maybe people were just kind.

Kent had a seizure that night, something he and Alexei had clearly been expecting with the stress and fatigue of traveling.  Daniil heard a thud in the hallway and, thinking one of the kids had gotten up, went after the noise.  Alexei was already there, turning Kent onto his side before staring a timer. 

“Have blanket?” Alexei said to his brother, still speaking English.  Daniil nodded and grabbed an old quilt out of the linen closet.  Alexei slipped it under Kent’s head before backing away.

“Happen a lot?” Daniil asked.  Alexei seemed far too calm, but he still shook his head.  Then he shrugged.

“A few each month,” he said.  “More this time of year than usual—stress.  Still not as many as when first met.”

The seizure lasted just under two minutes.  Alexei said the length meant it wasn’t serious, but Daniil wasn’t sure he could agree.  The kids—on couches and chairs in the living room—slept through it.  When Kent stilled, Alexei sat in floor next to him, flush against Kent’s side, and waited.  Daniil ignored the feeling that he was intruding and stayed with his brother.

Kent came out of it slowly.  Alexei talked to him quietly the whole time, too quiet for Daniil to hear.  Kent groaned and grimaced for a few minutes before he responded.  Another few minutes passed on the floor before Alexei nodded, stood, and helped Kent to his feet.  They went to bed and didn’t reappear until nearly lunchtime the next day.

It was Christmas Eve, so they went to Alexei’s grandparents for dinner before mass.  Kent navigated the overcrowded dining room with surprising grace, but when they sat to eat he let Alexei pile his plate with the foods he thought he would like.  Daniil caught his grandparents watching from across the table, faces tight, and lowered his gaze.  Alexei didn’t seem bothered.

The tree was in front of a window in the living room, and Alexander pulled Kent towards it after the table had been cleared.  Alexei watched them go, looking warmly content.  The three year old carefully placed Kent’s hand onto one of the wooden ornaments.

“Gentle,” he said in Russian, voice soft.  It wasn’t a word Kent knew, but he seemed to understand the sentiment.  Alexander put Kent’s hand on another ornament and made a neighing noise.  “лошадь.”

“A rocking horse?” Kent said, tracing the curved bottom of the ornament.  He mimed a rocking motion with his free hand, and Alexander nodded, forgetting Kent couldn’t see him.

Mass must have been boring for Kent, considering he couldn’t see the church or understand the preaching.  He sat perfectly still in between Alexei and Irina in the pew, and he let Alexander climb into his lap halfway through.  Daniil knew that next week his mother and father would have to explain away Alexei’s ‘friend,’ but for now the service went by peacefully.  Sofya and Alexander were dozing by the end, and Alexei still looked so content as he lifted his nephew off Kent’s lap and carried the boy out of the church.  Once Alexander had been buckled into his car seat, Alexei grabbed Kent’s hand and leaned in to whisper to him.  His eyes caught on Daniil.

“Why do you do that?” Alexei said.  He’d returned to Russian, and Daniil knew instinctively that it was done not to exclude Kent but to give Daniil his full grasp of language to explain.

“What?” Daniil asked.

“You act like you’ve been slapped every time I touch him,” Alexei said.  Daniil didn’t defend himself, and Alexei’s expression went hard.  “You’ve known for years, Daniil.  We never talked about it, but I always thought you’d accepted it.”

“I have,” Daniil said.

“So what is it then?” Alexei said.  “Are you just not okay with it?”

“I am, but the rest of the world isn’t,” Daniil said.  “I just….”

“You’re just afraid of other people knowing?”

The parking lot was still crowded with churchgoers, but Alexei didn’t seem to care.  He wasn’t yelling, but his volume had been steadily rising throughout the conversation.  Kent’s brow was creased in concentration as he tried to pick out the words he knew, but it was clear that most of the conversation was passing him by.

“Yes, Alexei, yes!” Daniil yelled back.  “Christ, have you been gone that long?”

“It’s not like I can’t pay the propaganda fine,” Alexei said.  He stood up straighter and squared his shoulders, a clear statement that he could handle anything or anyone that came at him.

“You’re not so grown that someone can’t bash your hard head in,” Daniil said.  “Jesus, Alexei, I don’t hate you.  I just don’t know how to protect you anymore.”

“I don’t need protecting,” Alexei said.  “No one’s said anything.  The airport, the rink, Granny’s house, church.  Maybe people just don’t care.”

“Come on, you’re not that naïve, Lex,” Daniil said.  “You watch the news.  You know what happens.”

“Would you have given up time with Maria even if you knew how it was going to end?” Alexei said.  Daniil surged forwards to push him back, but some instinctive drive put Kent between them.  Alexei pulled him back as if to protect him, and Daniil stopped dead in his tracks when he realized Alexei thought—even subconsciously—that he might hurt Kent.

“I’m riding home with them,” Kent said, reopening the minivan door.  Irina’s family was inside, the adults trying very hard to act like they hadn’t been listening.  The church parking lot was nearly empty.  “You two can take care of the other car.  Now someone point me towards an empty seat.”

Irina’s husband directed Kent toward the back and shut the door.  The minivan pulled out, and Daniil and Alexei were alone in the parking lot.  Alexei scrubbed a hand down his face.

“I shouldn’t have brought up Maria,” he said.  “I’m sorry.

“No, you’re right,” Daniil said, shaking his head.  “I still would have married her even if I knew she’d be dead in a year.  I was in love.”

“When I met Kent…” Alexei said quietly.  “I knew.  I just knew.  And I’d always tried to be… discreet before him, but I just didn’t care anymore after I met him.  He’s it for me, and I don’t care who knows.  I don’t care if I get fined or if I can’t bring him to Russia again or if Granny makes a face at us.”

Daniil sat down on the curb.  Fresh snow had already melted into his shoes, and the hard-packed ice began to melt through his pants.  Alexei stared at him thoughtfully for a few seconds before joining his brother on the ground.

“People will think we’ve been drinking,” Alexei stated.  “Mama and Papa will have a lot to explain—two sons in the church parking lot on Christmas while an American goes home with Irina.”

Daniil snorted and pressed his face into his arm, strangely self-conscious under his little brother’s gaze.  They were sitting so close together that they bumped elbows when Daniil sat up, but neither of them moved away.  When Daniil finally spoke, he wasn’t exactly sure what he was going to say.

“I like Kent,” Daniil said.  “He seems like a good guy.  It must be… unsettling to be in a foreign country where you don’t speak the language and you can’t even see anything, but he seems good.  The kids are nuts about him.”

“I’m glad,” Alexei said softly.  He let another pause fall, ready to wait Daniil out.

“I tried to crush it out of you,” Daniil finally said.  “Not the actual being gay, just… the signs.  You were only nine.  I knew I couldn’t change who you were, but I thought I could change your habits.”

“You didn’t know when I was nine,” Alexei said, shaking his head.  “ _I_ didn’t know when I was nine.”

Daniil shook his head and said, “I knew.”  Alexei sat quiet for a moment.

“I thought you were just sick of me,” he finally said.  “We used to get along better than most of my friends did with their older siblings, but I figured you just got tired of dealing with a little kid.”

“It wasn’t because I didn’t want you to hug people and have friends that were girls and grow your hair,” Daniil said.  “And I know that stuff doesn’t actually have anything to do with being gay, but other people think it does.  I didn’t want anyone else to figure it out.”

“You were trying to take care of me,” Alexei said.  Daniil expected him to still be upset, but Alexei seemed to be accepting it quietly.

“It didn’t work though,” Daniil shrugged.  “You were back to being yourself in a couple years, and I didn’t have the heart to try again.  You hated me back then.  That was when people were starting to notice that you really had a talent for hockey and you were already so tall.  I thought maybe people would just let it go.”

“They did,” Alexei said.  “I’m sure some people figured it out before I left, but no one ever said anything.”

“And that makes me feel like shit too,” Daniil said.  “I tried to change you for no reason.  And it worked for a little while.  I made you miserable for two years.  I killed our relationship for no reason.  We used to be friends, Alexei.”

“You were fourteen, and I wasn’t miserable” Alexei said.  He didn’t deny that Daniil had changed their relationship.  “You were just trying to protect me.”

“But I never told you that,” Daniil said.  “I let you think I hated you.”

Alexei shrugged.  “I got over it.”

They sat quietly for a moment.  It was snowing again, and neither of them were dressed for it.  Finally, Alexei stood up, and Daniil followed him to the car.

When they arrived at home, they crept in quietly.  Alexander and Sofya were already asleep, and Maxim was watching a Christmas movie with drooping eyes.  He glanced up at them when he heard the door open and watched them strip off their damp coats and shoes in the doorway.  The house was quiet.

“Goodnight, buddy,” Alexei whispered as he crossed the living room.

“Goodnight, Uncle ‘Lexei,” Maxim whispered back.  “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas.  You sleep tight, okay?”

“Okay,” Maxim said, nodding sleepily.  “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Kent was curled in bed with the comforter splayed across his chest.  He looked asleep, but he sat up when Alexei eased the door shut behind him.

“Is just me, Kenny” Alexei said.  “Go back to sleep.”

“I wasn’t asleep,” Kent said, rocking a little.  “Did you two get it settled?”

“I’m thinking so,” Alexei said while he hung his church clothes up.  “Sorry about fighting like that.”

“It’s okay,” Kent said.  “Family’s complicated.”

Alexei hummed in agreement as he crawled into bed.  Kent scooted over to make space and sighed as he settled back into his pillow.  He pressed his feet against Alexei’s leg and laughed when he recoiled.

“I’m sitting in snow for an hour, and you are still colder than me,” Alexei said.

“An hour is probably a little bit of an exaggeration,” Kent said.  “What’d you and your brother talk about?”

“Lots of things,” Alexei said.  “He knew I was liking boys when I was nine.  Granny’s stink face.  He’s wanting to protect me, and I’m not needing it.”

“Heavy,” Kent said, and Alexei agreed.  “I thought you said you and Daniil weren’t close.”  He sounded tired.  There was just enough light coming in from the window for Alexei to see the outline of his face.

“Yeah,” Alexei said.  “I’ll tell you about in morning, okay?  Let’s get sleep for Christmas.”

“Okay,” Kent said.  “Love you.”

“Love you too.”

The noise of the kids playing woke them up around seven.  It was an early wakeup after midnight mass, but Kent looked too soft for Alexei to feel groggy.  They sat in bed for a little while, and Alexei told Kent about his conversation with Daniil last night.  Kent listened quietly, humming in the appropriate spots and running his fingertips across Alexei’s hand.  After that, they pulled on tee shirts and joined everyone else for breakfast.

Irina’s kids were still enamored with Kent, and they giggled happily when he told them “Merry Christmas” in Russian.  The kids ate quickly, eager to open presents, and then fidgeted in their seats while everyone else finished.  Kent and Alexei had exchanged gifts on the twenty-fifth, but Alexei still had presents for and from his family.  Kent was prepared to settle into the couch with a cup of coffee and take in the family scene, but Sofya presented him with a box while the presents were being sorted.

“For me?” Kent asked.

“Kenny,” Sofya said, tapping the tag.  She said something else, looking at Alexei expectantly.

“She said it’s from everyone,” Alexei translated.

“Thank you,” Kent said, face hot.  His name was on the tags for the presents to Alexei’s family, but the only ones he’d really been much help picking out were the kids’ toys.  When it was Kent’s turn to open, he propped the box in his lap carefully to avoid dropping anything.  Kent usually hated opening gifts in front of a group because it could take him a minute to figure out what it was, but this object was easily identified as a quilt.

“Thank you,” Kent said again.  Alexei’s mother responded.

“She says that she and Irina were doing most of making, but kids helped pick colors,” Alexei translated.  “Papa picked pattern.”

Kent traced his fingertips over the stitching.  They were tiny and perfectly even.  The quilt was no last-minute gift.  There had been no shortage of awkward moments with Alexei’s family, but they cared.  Alexei had a lot of quilts like this in his apartment, heavy and warm, but this one was Kent’s.  Alexei’s mother wasn’t just telling Alexei that she accepted his boyfriend; she was telling Kent.

“It’s beautiful,” Kent said, still tracing the design.  “Thank you.”

They flew home after lunch the next day.  Daniil was volunteered to drive them back to the airport, and he waited in the doorway while everyone said goodbye to Alexei and Kent.  Irina kissed her brother’s cheek and hugged Kent.  Her husband shook their hands, and the kids clung to both of them.  Alexei’s father shook their hands, looking thoughtful, and his wife gave her son a hug and told him to get on the road before he made her cry.

Alexei rode up front with Daniil on the way to the airport, fiddling with the radio until he landed on a station playing songs Kent recognized from Alexei’s playlists.  The conversation was sparse, but it wasn’t uncomfortable.  Alexei had forgiven his brother.

“It was good to finally meet you,” Kent said.  “Thanks for driving us.”

“You are welcome,” Daniil said back.  He felt like he was probably supposed to hug Kent at that point, but Kent had the handle of his suitcase in one hand and his white cane in the other.  The moment passed.  “It was good to meet you too.”

Before Daniil could even turn to his younger brother, Alexei had swamped him in a hug.  Daniil made a surprised noise as he staggered, and Kent laughed.  It made Daniil absentmindedly pleased to know that Kent knew Alexei well enough to know what had happened.

“Had good visit,” Alexei said, staying in English for Kent’s benefit.  “I will be seeing you at game before season is over, yes?”

“I will try,” Daniil said.  “Have safe flight, Alexei.”

Alexei nodded and paused.  “Love you, Daniil.”

“Love you too,” Daniil responded before he’d even processed what Alexei said.  “Be good, okay?  Play good hockey.  Live good life.  Take care.”

Alexei nodded again, smiling, and leaned against Kent’s side.  Kent looped his fingers through Alexei’s belt loop, looking much more comfortable in the airport than he had a few days prior.  It wasn’t how Daniil had imagined his kid brother growing up, but there was no denying the fact that Alexei was happy.

“Ready to go home?” Alexei asked his boyfriend, and Kent nodded.

“Have safe trip,” Daniil said, taking a step back to his car.  Kent and Alexei said goodbye and started toward the door, bumping elbows as they walked, and Daniil watched them go.

**Author's Note:**

> Alexei's mother is Kira. His father and grandparents aren't named here.  
> Daniil is the oldest son, Irina is the middle child, and Alexei's the youngest. Daniil's dead wife Maria is sorta mentioned.  
> Irina's husband is unnamed. They have three children, Maxim, Sofya, and Alexander.


End file.
